On this day, June 23, in 1864, as the Civil War was getting close to its end, Johann Gottfried Hemmann died.  He was one of the most productive fathers in the history of Perry County, Missouri.

Right before the immigration to America in 1838, Gottfried’s first wife, Maria (Bachmann) died.  This couple had had eight children in Germany, two of which had died early in life.  So Gottfried came here as a 47 year-old widower with six children.  He was part of the Gruber group which arrived in December of 1839.  He was listed as a passenger on the Johann Georg in the cabin section of the ship, and his children were in the steerage section.

One of the first events recorded in Rev. Gruber’s church books was Gottfried’s second marriage.  He married Maria Rosina Hoffman who was 27 years younger than he was.  This couple then had twelve children of their own, the last one being born just three months before Gottfried’s death.  At that time, he was 72 years old.  Two previous blog posts told the story of this family,

The Beginning of the Hemmann Herd

and The Last of the Hemmann Herd….Teacher Hemmann.

The gravestone for Gottfried somehow got misplaced in the Uniontown cemetery, and years ago, it was given to our museum for safe-keeping.  You can see it on display there.